While most consoles for retro gamers try to emulate the old school feel, the POWKIDDY X55 tries something different. It allows you to focus on getting a very good emulation unit that can run games from a huge range of different consoles. What makes it great for all players, however, is the versatility, but also the unique form factor. The POWKIDDY X55 is not your run of the mill console, it’s something unique, easy to play, but at the same time it conveys great quality and value for money.

POWKIDDY X55 design

Right off the bat, the device is made with the idea of bringing you a versatile and very distinctive experience. Not only does it have an aqua blue design similar to many old school consoles, but the form factor itself is also reminiscent to them as well. Yet the console itself is easy to hold in your hand, very portable, and they do an excellent job at keeping the product lightweight, which is hard to do.

Unlike many other similar consoles for retro gamers, this one has a 5.5 inch screen. That’s a gamechanger for a lot of players that want to enjoy some of the newer titles on their console. And as you will see, the POWKIDDY X55 does support quite a lot of consoles as well. It’s nice to see that they kept it visually appealing and with a great design, without hampering the functionality at all.

What consoles are simulated by this handheld?

We like the fact that the POWKIDDY X55 does simulate a large variety of consoles, with some unseen additions in the case of other handhelds like this. CPS is a prime example, along with FBA. But the unit doesn’t stop here, it also helps simulate other devices like the Neo Geo, GameBoy, FC, SFC, GBC, GBA, PSP, PS1, MD and the Nintendo 64. That’s a great selection of consoles, so you won’t have a problem picking the right one for you.

POWKIDDY X55 specs

What you will notice is that the device comes with a Rock-chips RK3566 CPU, which is a quad-core unit clocked at 1.8 GHz. It certainly gets the job done for all games you can play here, and we didn’t encounter any stutter or games that were randomly hanging. It might take a little to set it up properly, but the results you can get here are quite impressive as a whole.

The device also comes with 2 GB of memory, and that’s plenty of memory to run even some of the newer games supported. It also helps with the emulation process by making it a bit smoother and easier to manage.

When it comes to storage, most people will be glad to see that the unit has 16 GB of storage already, and depending on the package you buy you can get a 64 GB or 128 GB memory card in the device as well. However, they support the option to add up to 256 GB. Normally, this will be more than enough for pretty much any retro games, but it’s great that you have options depending on your needs and budget.

The battery life for the POWKIDDY X55 is around 4 hours, and it takes 2 hours to fully charge the unit. Since the device has very lively colors and great brightness, games look amazing, but that does take its toll on the battery. The 4000 mAh are still more than enough for around 4 hours of uninterrupted gameplay, so that’s certainly one of the great things that you want to take into consideration here.

Other important features

Another thing to note about the POWKIDDY X55 is that it has Type C fast charging support, but also HDMI support for an external display like a TV. That means you can play your games on the TV via this console if you want to. And on top of that, they also give you access to other features like the 3.5 mm stereo headset, volume settings, along with a low power reminder.

How good are controls for the POWKIDDY X55?

You always want the controls to be very good, easy to understand, and the control scheme to not feel bad to handle. For the most part, we felt that the POWKIDDY X55 controls mimic the Nintendo Switch, while allowing you to play some of those old school games quick and easy/ In addition, the buttons don’t go out of their socket too much, which might lead to discomfort for some players.

Instead, everything is laid out very well, while also offering you a great comfort. Even after playing on the console for multiple hours, we found it to work extremely well, and we never felt any kind of discomfort. If you are accustomed with the Switch, we think playing on this console will feel great. If you’re not used to that type of portable consoles, it still won’t take a long time to be used to.

Is the display good on this console?

A lot of people that want to buy a retro console and play colorful retro titles want to ensure the video quality is always very good. We think the POWKIDDY X55 does an excellent job at bringing you a way to not only avoid any glare, but also set up the brightness, contrast and other features. The brightness is a bit low even on the highest setting. That means the screen can feel dim at times if you’re in direct sunlight. However, we didn’t have a problem indoors.

Conclusion

The POWKIDDY X55 is a must-have for anyone that wants to get a Switch-like portable console with amazing emulators for retro titles. The product is anywhere from $200AUD to $240AUD depending on how much storage you need. There are also multiple colors, like blue, black, white and green that you can choose from. It’s an interesting option for retro gamers, especially with the vast range of consoles supported. Just make sure that you pick the right amount of storage and charge it often if you play a lot!